Buffalo's talented QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is a concern to the Browns' defense.
View full sizeWill Buffalo's blustery weather put a damper on the passing of Buffalo's Ryan Fitzpatrick? The Browns wouldn't mind a quick-moving storm in western New York on Sunday.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Like snowflakes, these opinions just keep on coming ...
About the Browns...
1. They're hoping for bad weather in Buffalo because they want it difficult for Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw. Few fans outside of Buffalo realize the Harvard product has 20 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions this season, along with completing 58 percent of his passes and a strong 84.5 quarterback rating. All for a team that consistently plays from behind, meaning the quarterback is under enormous pressure.
2. Browns coaches were very impressed with Miami's tackling on Peyton Hillis (57 yards in 18 carries). Known for breaking tackles, Hillis was not able to do much against the Dolphins. The hope is he can return to form against Buffalo, which is 32nd against the run -- allowing 4.7 yards per carry. Run the ball and keeping the defense off the field is a key part of the game plan.
3. Center Alex Mack had one of his toughest games of the season at Miami, part of the reason the interior running game disappeared. No hole. Jake Delhomme was sacked twice, and the film study revealed neither was the fault of the quarterback. The blocking just failed. Other than his one near-interception, Delhomme was given high praise for his execution of the conservative game plan that set up the 13-10 victory.
4. The coaches have held practices in the snow, a new experience for Delhomme, Joe Haden and others who have played in the South. They are stressing that the real enemy is a lack of concentration. It's easy to be distracted by the cold and wind, leading to failure when it comes to running plays and being in the right spot on defense.
5. The Browns keep telling the players, "The weather can be to our advantage. We can be tougher and smarter [than opponents]." The defense is being challenged not to have another letdown, as happened in the 24-23 victory against Carolina. Veteran linebacker David Bowens received excellent grades for his performance at inside linebacker in Miami. Bowens finished strong last season, and he seems ready to do that again.
6. The players are warned about Buffalo's overtime losses to Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Kansas City. It scored 49 points against the Bengals, 34 against Baltimore and 30 against New England. If the defense is not with it, the Browns could easily be ambushed by this 2-10 team. They are warning the defense about screen passes, which Buffalo uses very often and effectively.
7. Shaun Rogers had a superb game with a blocked field goal, a sack and drawing lots of attention in the middle of the line from Miami. He suddenly seems to be enjoying playing for a team that has won four of six. He is playing hurt and playing hard, which has impressed the coaches.
8. The Browns believe Colt McCoy (high ankle sprain) has a reasonable chance to play in the final two home games against Pittsburgh and Baltimore. How can the rookie from Texas handle the cold weather and wind? How does he handle games that could be meaningful to the most powerful teams in the Browns' division? The Browns believe McCoy has the right stuff to play in these conditions, but they want to see it.
Upon further review:
1. Michael Missig emailed that I have done a classic flip-flop when I first supported the hiring of Mangini two years ago -- knowing he could have the final say on football matters -- and now want the Browns to have a strong front office with Mangini retained as coach. It's an excellent point.
2. I long favored a strong GM, but when owner Randy Lerner turned to Mangini as coach -- I liked that Mangini at least was a coach with experience. I hoped the hiring of George Kokinis as general manager would be like Scott Pioli working with Bill Belichick in New England. The Mangini/Kokinis relationship blew up quickly, and Kokinis was gone at the bye week. Mangini was overwhelmed trying to handle both jobs, and it's still amazing that he won those final four games to finish at 5-11.
3. Missig's main theme is correct. Lerner was returning to a poor business model (the same as Butch Davis running the team), and it was destined to fail. I knew there was a problem with Mangini being hired first, but I didn't make that point strong enough. That said, I really like the combination of Mike Holmgren/Tom Heckert/Mangini in terms of moving the team forward and creating some stability. Let's hope Lerner and Holmgren see it the same way.
About the Cavaliers...
View full sizeByron Scott is determined not to let players slide into the middle of the season with bad habits, especially the Cavaliers' younger players.1. When Byron Scott shook up the lineup, he wanted the players to know the problem was not just one guy. There were several breakdowns, especially on defense. The coach wanted them to know that practice matters, which led to meetings between the coaches and several players. Scott's point is you must earn minutes.
2. The Cavs know J.J. Hickson is one of their most talented players. But they saw the 22-year-old sort of coasting in practice after he opened the season with some productive games. His defense slipped. He struggled when opposing forwards backed away from him, making it harder to drive. When Scott replaced him with veteran Antawn Jamison, the message was: "Force me to play you by working hard in practice. Work on the things that we are telling you. Your time will come."
3. In Hickson's first 11 games, he averaged 14.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and shot 48 percent from the field, 84 percent at the foul line. In the last 10 games, it's 7.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 40 percent from the field and 64 percent at the foul line. The Cavs are telling Hickson that if he simply rebounds, runs the floor on the fast break, and goes to the rim -- he can score 10 points on effort. Then, he has the talent to do so much more.
4. Ramon Sessions lost his spot in the rotation to rookie Manny Harris. The coaches told Sessions that his defense has been slipping, allowing guards to blow right past him -- and that he's too quick and physically gifted for that to happen. They also said Harris has earned some minutes with his defense, and they expect the same from Sessions.
5. The Cavs know Hickson is 22, Sessions is 24. Hickson lived off LeBron James, as defenses rarely paid attention to him and little was expected. That has changed, and it's an adjustment. Sessions played on losing teams in Minnesota and Milwaukee, where defense was a rumor. The idea is to set standards for these young players and have them understand nothing is guaranteed.
6. Very little is said about Jamario Moon, who was inactive for Wednesday's game against Chicago. That's a big fall for a guy who was presented the first shot at small forward after James left. But Moon sort of floated, and the coaches believed he should be more serious -- especially at the age of 30 and having worked so hard for years to make the NBA. He has one year left on his contract, and it wouldn't be a shock if Moon is traded.
7. Not sure how long Scott can stick with Anthony Parker at small forward, where he's very undersized at 6-6. But they do like his dedication to defense and ability to hit a 3-pointer (48 percent). Jawad Williams also has moved ahead of Moon because the St. Edward product tries to play defense and has an understanding of what Scott wants done on offense.
8. I'd like to see Leon Powe get more minutes as the backup center because the veteran is fearless inside. He will draw fouls and deliver fouls. He sets fierce picks. Major knee surgeries have robbed Powe of mobility, but he's a mature pro -- something this team can use on the court at some point every night.
About the Tribe...
View full sizeCord Phelps may have a big-league bat already, but Terry Pluto is wary of rushing a talented player before his defense is ready to succeed. 1. Doug Eisenbraun emailed that he's looking for reasons to be excited about the Indians, and sent this prediction for the regular lineup: C: Carlos Santana, 1B: Matt LaPorta, 2B: Jason Donald, SS: Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B: Cord Phelps, LF: Grady Sizemore, CF: Michael Brantley, RF: Shin-Soo Choo, DH: Travis Hafner.
2. If Sizemore is reasonably healthy, he will play center field. The Indians will only move him to left if his surgically repaired knee has robbed him of his speed. What I hope is that Brantley takes over the leadoff spot, and that Sizemore bats somewhere in the middle of the order.
3. I wish Cord Phelps was ready to play third base. In the Arizona Fall League, he hit .367 (1.031 OPS). He doesn't have a lot of power, but he may be ready to be a productive hitter in the majors right now. But in 17 games at third, he had eight errors. He's played second for the Tribe since being the third-round pick in 2008. The Indians think he may be able to play third at some point -- he did play there some at Stanford. But he doesn't seem to be ready to break into the majors at a new position directly out of spring training.
4. Don't ask me who will play third. You've heard the Nick Punto rumors. In the last two years with the Twins, he's batted .232 (.618 OPS) with two homers and 58 RBI in 728 at-bats. He's 33, and didn't have any errors in his last 53 games at third -- but he doesn't hit at all. Agent Scott Boras is trying to market Joe Crede, who missed all of last season with his third back surgery in three years. Crede was an excellent third baseman with some power before all the injuries, but the Indians and others have doubts about him staying healthy.
5. I don't even want to think about Jayson Nix at third, where he was overmatched. He has two errors in his first four games at third in Puerto Rico this winter. He had 11 in 39 games for the Tribe. He's solid at second, but the Indians are loaded at that spot. They are even thinking about looking at Jason Donald at third.
6. The Tribe lost Josh Rodriguez, 25, to Pittsburgh in the Rule 5 draft. He batted .297 with 13 homers and 57 RBI (.862 OPS) between Class AA Akron and Class AAA Columbus. The Indians view him as a second baseman, and they rate Donald, Nix, Jason Kipnis, Phelps and even Luis Valbuena ahead of him. That's why they didn't protect their second-round pick in 2006, who has had a spotty career in the minors. Former Tribe assistant general manager Neil Huntington runs the Pirates, and he has liked Rodriguez for a while.
7. In the Dominican Republic, Josh Judy is 5-of-5 in saves with a 1.50 ERA. He had a 2.68 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 47 innings at Columbus. Vinnie Pestano saved 14 games with a 1.50 ERA at Columbus. Both have a legitimate chance to make the roster at the end of spring training, as the Indians are loading up with power arms. After the All-Star break, the Tribe's bullpen had a 2.95 ERA.